By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer

They took turns beating up on Giants pitching, and then went to bat for each other. Friends do that.

"The last couple of years have been tough on (Barry Larkin)," Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. said. "Tough on all of us."

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Saturday's game

Saturday's 5-3 Reds win against San Francisco, however, was one to remember for Griffey and Larkin.

Griffey hit a pair of solo home runs while Larkin, looking nothing like a 40-year-old shortstop in his final season, broke a fifth-inning tie with a two-run home run to center field before 39,418 fans.

" 'Plus Pop,' that's what we call him," Griffey said. "He's having a lot of fun, and that's the key."

Larkin, at a price of $700,000, appears to be the bargain of the early season.

Coming off a year in which he went to the disabled list three times and missed 74 games, Larkin has raised his batting average from .148 to .306 in the past 19 games.

"I've been fairly consistent in my approach and the results have been there," he said. "Health is a huge part of this, especially when you get older. If you're healthy you're capable of doing some things."

Griffey, whose tenure with the Reds has been defined by frequent injuries, is healthy and again inching closer to 500 home runs. He has 487 career HRs.

His six home runs and 21 RBI this season are second on the team.

"If he's healthy he's really, really good," Larkin said. "Unfortunately the people here in Cincinnati haven't seen that the last four years.

"First of all, the people that criticize the man for what he's been able to do throughout his career, they need to look in the mirror. Give the man credit. He's been through a lot."

A move from third to fifth in the batting order Thursday, preceded by an early-morning phone call from his father, seems to have worked.

Griffey is 5-for-12 with three homers and seven RBI in the past three games. Saturday was his 49th multi-homer game.

"I don't think you ever forget what he's accomplished," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "The last couple days he's swung the bat as well as he has since the start of the season.

"He's still a good hitter, a real good hitter."

Reds starting pitcher Paul Wilson welcomed both players' contributions in the win.

The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings as he improved to 4-0.

"When those guys are hitting the ball like that, they're giving everybody else in the lineup confidence," Wilson said. "And they give us pitchers the wherewithal to go out there, throw strikes and not be afraid of contact."

Both runs Wilson allowed came on solo home runs - by Giants right fielder Jeffrey Hammonds in the first and first baseman J.T. Snow in the third.

Snow's home run tied the game 2-2.

The Giants had a chance to take the lead with the bases loaded and just one out in the fifth.

A three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Larkin ended the inning by fielding a Pedro Feliz groundball in the hole between shortstop and third base and throwing to second for the start of an inning-ending double play.

Larkin then gave the Reds a 4-2 lead with his 412-foot home run to center field.

It was his first home run since Aug. 1 and one of a record-tying six total in the game.

"It's been a while since I've hit one like that," he said.

Todd Jones pitched one scoreless inning of relief while closer Danny Graves saved his 13th game.

But the stars of the day were the two friends who showed everybody they can still play.

"In my eyes," Reds utility man Ryan Freel said, "I don't think they get enough credit."

San Francisco	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Tucker cf	5	0	2	0	0	0	.273
Snow 1b	4	1	1	1	0	1	.211
Hammonds rf	3	1	1	1	0	0	.197
Bonds lf	3	0	0	0	1	0	.403
Feliz 3b	4	0	0	0	0	2	.289
Pierzynski c	4	0	0	0	0	0	.250
DCruz ss	3	0	2	0	0	0	.333
Brower p	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.000
Eyre p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Mohr ph	1	1	1	1	0	0	.133
NPerez 2b-ss	3	0	1	0	1	0	.229
Hermanson p	2	0	0	0	0	1	.000
WFranklin p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Dallimore 2b	2	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Totals	34	3	8	3	2	4

Cincinnati	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DJimenez 2b	4	0	1	1	0	0	.219
Larkin ss	4	1	2	2	0	0	.306
Casey 1b	4	0	1	0	0	2	.372
Dunn lf	4	0	0	0	0	2	.278
Griffey Jr. cf	3	2	2	2	1	0	.248
Freel rf	3	1	2	0	1	0	.268
JCastro 3b	4	0	1	0	0	1	.235
CMiller c	2	1	0	0	2	1	.000
PWilson p	2	0	0	0	0	2	.133
JaCruz ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.316
TJones p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Graves p	0	0	0	0	0	0	---
Totals	31	5	9	5	4	8

San Francisco	101	000	001	-3	8	1
Cincinnati	020	020	01x	-5	9	0

E-Brower (2). LOB-San Francisco 7, Cincinnati 6. 2B-Tucker (7), DCruz (3), DJimenez (6), Casey (13). 3B-Freel (3). HR-Mohr (1), off Graves; Larkin (1), off Hermanson; Snow (1), off PWilskn; Griffey Jr. 2 (6), off Eyre, Hermanson; Hammonds (2), off PWilson. RBIs-Snow (7), Hammonds (3), Mohr (2), DJimenez (14), Larkin 2 (8), Griffey Jr. 2 (21). GIDP-Feliz, JCastro.

Runners left in scoring position-San Francisco 3 (Hammonds, Hermanson 2); Cincinnati 3 (Casey, Dunn, CMiller).

DP-San Francisco 1 (Feliz, NPerez and Snow); Cincinnati 1 (Larkin, DJimenez and Casey).

San Francisco	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Hermanson L, 1-2	5	6	4	4	2	5	71	5.31
WFranklin	2/3	0	0	0	2	0	18	3.09
Brower	1	1	0	0	0	0	16	3.43
Eyre	1 1/3	2	1	1	0	3	32	3.18

Cincinnati	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
PWilson W, 4-0	7	7	2	2	2	3	90	4.43
TJones H, 10	1	0	0	0	0	1	9	5.40
Graves S, 13	1	1	1	1	0	0	11	3.24

Inherited runners-scored-Brower 2-0, Eyre 1-0.

HBP-by PWilson (Hammonds).

Umpires-Home, Phil Cuzzi; First, James Hoye; Second, Jerry Crawford; Third, Darren Spagnardi.

T-2:35. A-39,418 (42,271).